


Where Flowers Blossom So Does Hope

by SlytherinReign



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Best Friends to Lovers, Faerie AU, Flower Language, I spent so long researching flower meanings for this one, M/M, Magic, Mild Spoilers, i have essays to be writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 20:43:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10421391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinReign/pseuds/SlytherinReign
Summary: Where Archie's mom is very superstitious and warns him against faeries, but there's this boy that keeps leaving messages in the form of flowers in his hand each morning.





	

Archie can remember when he first moved to Riverdale, how his mother became obsessed with her superstitious rituals. Archie remembers his dad laughing at her craziness, but kissing her cheek and helping her place the yellow flowers on each windowsill and nailing the iron horseshoe into the walls. Archie remembers the stories she told him before he went to sleep.

 

_ Archie I want you to remember these and one day tell your own children these stories.There used to be a race called the Fae, they ruled the land before humans did. When the humans came along they, unknowingly, disrupted the Fae. The Fae became angry with the humans and sought revenge, often choosing to swap babies for changelings, babies of their own. These changelings would grow up and destroy the humans in town by creating mischief and chaos wherever they went. As time went by the Fae became obsessed with their revenge and became evil towards the humans, snatching and luring children away from their homes and families. Humans learnt how to ward the Fae away.  _

 

Archie remembers his mother explaining that Fae folk hated iron (the amulet around his neck and the horseshoe by the door), St. John’s Wort (the yellow flowers on his windowsill), yellow primroses (the flowers on the table in the kitchen) and red berries (the garland that hung in their front room). Archie remembers being afraid of the Fae folk. 

 

Archie remembers when he first meets Jughead Jones III on the first day of school. The small, dark-haired boy is shifty and looks suspicious of everyone, Archie is determined to make the boy smile. He succeeds when another boy, Reggie Mantle, pushes Jughead over in the playground and Archie slams a fist into the other boy’s face. His dad had taught him to defend himself and Archie couldn’t think of a better way to use the skill. Through the scalding of the teacher, Jughead smiles at Archie. Archie feels warm inside. From the moment they introduce themselves to one another they become best friends. 

 

Through the years of friendship, Jughead Jones never steps foot in Archie’s house, much to Archie’s disappointment, and Archie never sees Jughead’s house. Archie doesn’t understand the reason why they never hang out anywhere apart from Jughead’s treehouse and Pop’s. But Jughead just smiles and says “It feels like we can do anything without parents around.” Archie will just smile and nudge Jughead’s shoulder not really understanding the meaning behind the his best friend’s words. Archie’s mother suggests that he takes some of her yellow flowers to the treehouse, just to keep him and Jughead safe, and Archie agrees. He places some yellow primroses on the windowsill of the treehouse, proud at how they make the place look more homely. The flowers disappear quickly when Archie learns that Jughead is allergic to the pollen of the plants. Flowers never appear in the treehouse again, and Archie thinks it’s part of the reason why Jughead won’t come round his house. Archie’s mother just smiles sadly when Archie returns the plant to her, explaining the reasons. “That poor boy,” she sighs and Archie sees his dad roll his eyes behind her.

 

When Archie’s parents start shouting at each other, he finds himself curled up in the treehouse with Jughead, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I don’t understand. Is it my fault?” Archie, despite Jughead’s reassurances couldn’t understand that this was a natural part of life and Jughead wants to take his best friend home with him and never let him go. He can’t, it breaks all rules set by his father. In the morning when Archie wakes he always finds he is alone, Jughead having already left, but there’s always a beautiful purple flower sitting peacefully on top of Archie’s things. His mother tells him it’s an iris. Archie doesn’t know it means hope.

 

When Archie’s mother moves to Chicago, Fred takes all the yellow flowers and Fae warding out of the house and dumps it ceremoniously in the trash. The only Fae warding is now in Archie’s bedroom, the St. John’s Wort still sitting proudly on his windowsill, the only touch of his mother in the house. Archie cries at the sight of it when he gets home from school but can’t find it in himself to get rid of his mother’s protection. The night after he spends in the treehouse after having spent most nights sleeping there that it feels wrong to sleep in his own bed. Jughead is there, arms open inviting him into a hug. The next morning there’s a small bouquet of white heather sat in Archie’s hand and no Jughead. Archie doesn’t know the heather means protection, but he places it in a vase anyway. 

 

Jughead comes round Archie’s house not long after that, claiming that the removal of the flowers has made it safe for him to enter. Jughead never enters Archie’s bedroom, Archie never thinks too much about it. They spend hours playing video games in the front room, Jughead having an unbeatable streak at Mario Kart. The laughter they share over that summer becomes one of their favourite memories. The next morning Archie finds a dandelion in his hand. He doesn’t know that it means happiness, but he vows to find out what the plants mean.

 

Things change between the two of them the summer that Jason Blossom is murdered. Their road-trip never happened and Archie finds a red dahlia in his hand. He knows this means betrayal. He can’t begin to explain why he ditched Jughead for Miss Grundy, just knows that he feels ensnared by her and can’t leave the spider's web he seems to be trapped in. Jughead appears on his doorstep and confronts him about it and Archie can’t help the guilt he feels at betraying his friend. The morning after, Archie finds a geranium in his palm, he knows that it either means stupidity or determination, but Archie wonders if it means both. He goes to the florist to find a purple hyacinth, a please forgive me note, for Jughead. He’s sure by now that it’s Jughead leaving the flowers. He has no idea when his friend had an interest in flowers but he wonders about what else he doesn’t know about his friend. The smile Jughead gives him when he receives the flower is much better than winning the football game as the new star quarterback. “Over many burgers and many days” is the hope he can live with. The next morning an iris appears on his palm, hope is once again restored. The iris ends up in the case next to the dahlia and geranium, the colours clashing slightly, but Archie couldn’t care less.

 

The Twilight drive-in shuts down and Archie ends things with Grundy, embarrassed that his dad and Mrs. Cooper both know the truth. He doesn’t know how to face the world any more. After tossing and turning for many hours, Archie sneaks out to the treehouse and is disappointed when Jughead isn’t there, even though he doesn’t expect it. The next morning he awakes with a blanket covering his body and two flowers in his hand. He recognises one as a striped carnation and knows it is an apology, how Jughead figured out what happened the night before, Archie doesn’t know, but it makes him smile. The other flower he doesn’t recognise, it’s long and dark red. Over the phone to his mother, she tells him that it’s called love lies bleeding and Archie thinks the name is strangely poetic and fits well with his situation. After a quick google search, Archie realises that the flower means hopelessness and wonders why Jughead gave him the flower. He doesn’t realise until it comes out that Jughead is homeless, kicked out by his dad.

 

When Jughead comes to live with Archie, he takes the guest room and suddenly the room has books upon books of flower meanings and other botanical things. Archie never noticed this, when asked Jughead replies with a simple “my mom likes this stuff”. Archie never asks again, feeling the air shift uncomfortably around them. The next morning a yellow flower that looks very similar to the St. John’s Wort in his room is sat on his palm. Archie borrows one of Jughead’s books and sees that the flower is in fact an agrimony and it’s a thank you. Smiling Archie wonders how the previously homeless boy manages to afford all these different flowers. He keeps his mouth shut though.

 

Fred notices it before they do, but there’s a new tension between them, one that manifests in the lingering touches and secret smiles. When Jughead wakes to a purple lilac in his hand, he smiles before meeting Archie in the kitchen and kisses him on the lips, ignoring the spluttering from Fred. 

“Good morning” he smiles and everything feels right in the world. When Archie wakes it’s no surprise there is a flower in his hand, this time a tiny little rosebud that is covered in a mossy like substance. “A confession of love” Jughead tells him before smiling as Archie kisses him. 

 

It’s a while before things to become more serious between them, but when it does Archie tries to drag Jughead into his room, to his bed, but Jughead won’t walk through the door. “I can’t.” is all Jughead says before leaving, running out of the house much to Archie’s confusion. Jughead doesn’t return that night and Archie is disappointed to not see a flower resting in his palm. Jughead doesn’t return the next night either. Jughead isn’t at school on the monday and Archie begins to get very worried. When Jughead turns up again, it’s to relieved sighs and shouting from his worried boyfriend and father. The next morning an anemone turns up in Archie’s hand, a token of undying love and sickness. Archie hates the ambiguity.

 

Jughead still doesn’t enter Archie’s room and Archie begins to get frustrated. Many arguments occur between the two of them and Archie doesn’t understand Jughead anymore. Was it the sickness? Or had the undying love died? Archie assumes they are back to normal when a four leaf clover appears in his hand. He doesn’t need Jughead to tell him that it’s meant for luck. He arrives at his boyfriend’s room to inquire about the meaning only to see his boyfriend looks completely different. Jughead is taller and thinner than he was the previous night, his ears are more pointed and instead of the crown-like beanie on his head there is a circlet made of silver flowers. “Juggie?” The smile he receives when he calls his name draws Archie to this familiar stranger. Closer, Archie can see the faint patterns that lace themselves over Jughead’s body, there are strange flower like markings up his arms and rune-like symbols down the side of his neck. Archie feels the urge to move closer. He wraps his arms around Jughead, only to have the boy move out of his arms, pushing him away. He looks confused, probably mirroring Archie’s expression. “Two things. Remove the amulet now.” Archie absent-mindedly fiddles with the iron symbol around his neck, the Fae warding from his mother. The symbol matches the burn that has appeared on Jughead’s chest. Without thinking Archie takes it off and shoves it into his pocket. “Are you going to ask?” Archie tries to open his mouth, to ask what has happened, why his boyfriend seems so much more confident like this, so much more regal. The words don’t come, they die in the back of his throat as the beauty of his Jughead stuns him.

 

“I’m a faerie.” And it all clicks in his mind, the refusal to enter the house whilst Archie’s mother was here, her Fae warding everywhere, the allergies to the plant, the pained refusal to enter Archie’s room and the flowers. Finding his voice Archie mutters “Not gonna kidnap me are you?” Before smiling and pressing a kiss to Jughead’s cheek. “I couldn’t if I wanted to.” The clover in Archie’s hand grows hot and Archie sees that it’s more solid than it was, a charm of some sorts. “To be able to see me, and not my mask you have to keep this with you at all times.” Archie nods and places the clover on a string and around his neck, it feels lighter than the iron amulet anyway. 

 

Archie throws away the St. John’s Wort smiling when his dad pats him on the back thinking he has finally let go of the separation of his parents. He couldn’t be farther than the truth. Jughead explains what being a faerie is like: how his father is the King of their race and does not wish his son and heir to fall in love with a human. That’s why he was kicked out. He explains that his mother, the Queen, was loved by all and uses her magic to create life, a skill she taught Jughead, the only thing he has of his mother now that she left. Jughead explains about his little sister, Jellybean, how she is too small to understand their father’s cruel reign, how he doesn’t want to be King after his father. Archie listens to it all thinking of the life that Jughead has brought to his life. “Show me.” he whispers afterwards. Jughead clasps his palms together, blows into them before revealing a white chrysanthemum blooming in his hand. “Truth” Archie whispers stunned.

 

Jughead permanently moves into Archie’s room, not long after. A few years later, they get a flat the other side of town, close to Jughead’s home and Archie’s dad. Neither of them mention that Archie cannot ever leave Riverdale anymore, not since Jughead claimed him. They laugh over the inaccuracy of Archie’s mother’s stories and live as close to happy as an exiled prince and his boyfriend can, their home littered with flowers.

  
When Jughead’s father dies, the two of them move to the Fae Kingdom, and Archie delights in meeting Jellybean, who he loves immediately. He can see the relief on Jughead’s face when he sees his little sister and he thinks it must have been torturous not to see the people he held most dear to himself. After their first night in this new land, Archie finds an orange blossom in his hand, tied to a thistle looking flower, (an amaranth globe, Jughead informs him). Eternal and immortal love. Archie laughs and tells Jughead that “of course our love is forever”. 

**Author's Note:**

> Flower meanings
> 
> Iris- hope  
> White Heather- protection  
> Dandelion- happiness  
> Red Dahlia- betrayal  
> Geranium- stupidity and determination  
> Purple Hyacinth- please forgive me  
> Striped Carnation- sorry i couldn't be there  
> Love Lies Bleeding- hopelessness  
> Agrimony- thank you for understanding  
> Purple Lilac- first love  
> Moss Rosebud- a confession of love  
> Anemone- undying love and sickness  
> Four Leaf Clover- luck and sees through Fae glamors  
> White Chrysanthemum- truth  
> Orange Blossom- eternal love  
> Amaranth Globe- immortal love


End file.
